Construal Level Theory and Spatial Distance

2011 ◽  
Vol 42 (3) ◽  
pp. 165-173 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marlone D. Henderson ◽  
Cheryl J. Wakslak ◽  
Kentaro Fujita ◽  
John Rohrbach
Keyword(s):  
Construal Level Theory ◽  
Spatial Distance ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Construal Level ◽  
Theory Approach ◽  
Open Questions ◽  
Bidirectional Relationship ◽  
Current Article ◽  
And Behavior ◽  
The Way

Growing evidence points to a bidirectional relationship between spatial distance and level of mental representation, whereby distant (vs. near) events are represented by a higher level of representation, and higher levels of representations increase perceptions of distance. In the current article, we review research that establishes this association and explores its implications. We begin by briefly describing construal level theory, the theoretical framework that gives rise to this associative prediction, and then review a set of theory-consistent findings that serve to illuminate the way that spatial distance influences cognition and behavior and the way in which people make judgments about spatial distance. Finally, we discuss open questions for future research on spatial distance using a construal level theory approach.

scholarly journals Psychological Distance Cues in Online Messages

2019 ◽  
Vol 31 (2) ◽  
pp. 65-80
Author(s):  
Hande Sungur ◽  
Guido M. van Koningsbruggen ◽  
Tilo Hartmann
Keyword(s):  
Online Communication ◽  
Psychological Distance ◽  
Construal Level Theory ◽  
Spatial Distance ◽  
Construal Level ◽  
Message Processing ◽  
Online Information ◽  
Theory Approach ◽  
Within Subjects

Abstract. Growing evidence reveals that people rely on heuristic cues when processing online information. The current research, by adopting a construal level theory approach, examined whether psychological distance cues within online messages influence message processing. According to construal level theory, spatial and hypothetical distances (i.e., probabilities, likelihoods) share an association based on psychological distance. Construal level literature suggests that people overgeneralize this association and attribute unlikely events to distant places and likely events to close-by places. The current research provides a novel test of this relationship in an online communication setting. In two within-subjects experiments (Studies 1 and 2), we presented participants tweets depicting likely and unlikely events, and measured whether they attribute them to spatially close or far sources. Confirming our predictions, participants utilized the psychological distance cues and attributed the likely tweets to spatially close and the unlikely tweets to spatially far sources. In two follow-up experiments, we tested the same relationship by employing between-subjects designs. In Study 3 where participants saw one spatial distance and both likely and unlikely tweets, participants formed the same association albeit less strongly and attributed the unlikely tweets to spatially distant sources. In Study 4, where participants saw two spatial distances and only one tweet, the expected association was not formed. Findings suggest that comparison of likelihood information is necessary to form an association between source location and tweet likelihood. The implications of psychological distance and a construal level theory approach are discussed in the context of online heuristics and persuasion.

Using Construal Level Theory to Motivate Accounting Research: A Literature Review

2015 ◽  
Vol 27 (1) ◽  
pp. 137-180 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin M. Weisner
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Psychological Distance ◽  
Construal Level Theory ◽  
Judgment And Decision Making ◽  
Spatial Distance ◽  
Construal Level ◽  
Accounting Research ◽  
Geographically Dispersed ◽  
Comprehensive Framework ◽  
And Behavior

ABSTRACT This study reviews extant literature on construal level theory (CLT) of psychological distance (Liberman and Trope 1998; Trope and Liberman 2003). According to CLT, the concept of psychological distance constitutes a common meaning shared by four interrelated dimensions: temporal distance, social distance, spatial distance, and hypotheticality. The core premise is that psychological distance is tied to the level of mental construal (i.e., mental representation), such that more distant objects (or situations) are construed at a higher level and higher-level construals evoke thoughts of more distant objects (Trope and Liberman 2010). CLT further suggests that mental construals influence evaluation, prediction, and behavior (Trope, Liberman, and Wakslak 2007). In spite of the fact that CLT is considered a prominent contemporary theory and comprehensive framework for judgment and decision-making, behavioral accounting research, with few exceptions, has largely ignored the theory's predictions and insights. However, as accounting, auditing, and business in general become increasingly global and geographically dispersed, the perspectives provided by CLT should no longer be ignored. This study aims at illustrating CLT's potential for investigating hitherto unexplained phenomena within the accounting domain and argues that CLT provides the potential for a superior understanding of the heuristics and biases in judgment and decision-making that are associated with distance-affected decision environments. The paper reviews the findings reported in 88 articles (and one book chapter) with an emphasis on publications that apply CLT in contexts that are of particular interest to accounting researchers. CLT's underlying theoretical logic, its commonalities, and its differences with related theories and models are explained through a detailed review of the insights gained from basic CLT research. Commonly applied methods associated with experimental manipulations are highlighted, and broad, CLT-based research questions pertaining to various accounting domains are offered.

scholarly journals Psychological distance modulates goal-based versus movement-based imitation

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Oliver Genschow ◽  
Jochim Hansen ◽  
Michaela Wänke ◽  
Yaacov Trope
Keyword(s):  
Pilot Study ◽  
Psychological Distance ◽  
Past Research ◽  
Construal Level Theory ◽  
Temporal Distance ◽  
Spatial Distance ◽  
Construal Level ◽  
Direct Mapping

In past research on imitation, some findings suggest that imitation is goal based, whereas other findings suggest that imitation can also be based on a direct mapping of a model’s movements without necessarily adopting the model’s goal. We argue that the two forms of imitation are flexibly deployed in accordance with the psychological distance from the model. We specifically hypothesize that individuals are relatively more likely to imitate the model’s goals when s/he is distant but relatively more likely to imitate the model’s specific movements when s/he is proximal. This hypothesis was tested in four experiments using different imitation paradigms and different distance manipulations. Experiment 1 served as a pilot study and demonstrated that temporal distance (vs. proximity) increased imitation of a goal relative to the imitation of a movement. Experiments 2 and 3 measured goal-based and movement-based imitation independently of each other and found that spatial distance (vs. proximity) decreased the rate of goal errors (indicating more goal imitation) compared to movement errors. Experiment 4 demonstrated that psychological distance operates most likely at the input—that is, perceptual—level. The findings are discussed in relation to construal level theory and extant theories of imitation.

scholarly journals Construal Level Research in Decision Making: Analysis and Pushing Forward the Debate Using Bibliometric Review and Thematic Analysis

2020 ◽  
Vol 23 (1) ◽  
pp. 106-135
Author(s):  
Arindra Nath Mishra ◽  
Alok Raj ◽  
Ashis Kumar Pani
Keyword(s):  
Social Psychology ◽  
Bibliometric Analysis ◽  
Recent Trend ◽  
Construal Level Theory ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Construal Level ◽  
Social Psychology Bulletin ◽  
Sources Of Knowledge ◽  
Emerging Trends ◽  
Bibliometric Review

This study examines the extant literature on Construal Level Theory through bibliometric analysis that traces the path of research from 1998 to November 2019. It uses the Scopus database to identify emerging trends, seminal and most-cited papers, authors, universities, and countries that contributed to the development of the theory. A total of 680 papers from 1445 authors, were published in as many as 322 journals. The results indicate that ‘Journal of Experimental Social Psychology,’ ‘Journal of Personality and Social Psychology,’ and ‘Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin,’ were the three most productive sources of knowledge for this theory. The results show that over time, the discussion has progressed from theory to application in different areas of decision sciences, psychology, and management with a recent trend towards application in sustainability. This is the first literature review that has been conducted on the Construal Level Theory using bibliometric analysis. This study attempts to describe, explore possibilities, and provide a roadmap for future research in this field.

scholarly journals Relieving the regret for maximizers

2019 ◽  
Vol 54 (2) ◽  
pp. 282-304
Author(s):  
Louise May Hassan ◽  
Edward Shiu ◽  
Miriam McGowan
Keyword(s):  
Experimental Studies ◽  
Real Life ◽  
Construal Level Theory ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Construal Level ◽  
Specific Information ◽  
Negative Experience ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Choice Context

Purpose Prior research consistently found maximizers to experience greater regret over their choice than satisficers. Moreover, research also found maximizers to be trapped in a “maximization-regret-maximization” cycle. This paper aims to assess the role of construal level theory in alleviating regret felt by maximizers. Design/methodology/approach The authors examine the construal level theory (CLT) in conjunction with the choice context (comparable and non-comparable choices). Three experimental studies tested our assertion that a match between CLT mindset and choice set relieves regret for maximizers. Findings The authors show maximizers experience similar levels of regret compared to satisficers when considering comparable options in a concrete mindset, and non-comparable options in an abstract mindset. However, maximizers experience heightened regret in comparison to satisficers when considering non-comparable (comparable) options in a concrete (abstract) mindset. Choice difficulty mediates our effect. Research limitations/implications Future research is needed to replicate our results in real-life settings. Practical implications If marketers think that their product is likely to be compared with other comparable products, they should adopt product-specific information that focusses on how the product would be used. However, if marketers think that consumers will compare across non-comparable products, then they should focus on why their product is the most suitable to fulfil consumers’ needs. Originality/value This research represents the first attempt at reducing regret for maximizers and answers the call for an examination of the relationship between maximization and CLT. The research adds to the maximization literature by evidencing a CLT-based strategy that attenuates the negative experience of regret for maximizers.

Nudging with construal level theory to improve online password use and intended password choice

2019 ◽  
Vol 32 (4) ◽  
pp. 993-1020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeffrey P. Kaleta ◽  
Jong Seok Lee ◽  
Sungjin Yoo
Keyword(s):  
Experimental Treatment ◽  
Construal Level Theory ◽  
Construal Level ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Password Security ◽  
Desirable Feature ◽  
General Complex ◽  
And Behavior ◽  
Positive Effect

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to focus on a potential tradeoff between security and usability in people’s use of online passwords – in general, complex passwords are secure and desirable but difficult to use (i.e. difficult to memorize) whereas simple passwords are easy to use, but are insecure and undesirable. Construal level theory (CLT) explains how high vs low construal level causes people to focus on “desirability” vs “feasibility” of an action, which in the research context can translate into the “security” vs “usability” of using passwords. Design/methodology/approach The authors conducted a series of three laboratory experiments manipulating people’s construal level and investigating its impact on password use. Findings The authors found that people who were induced to think at a high construal level created or showed intention to choose stronger passwords relative to people who were induced to think at a low construal level. Furthermore, this effect was also significantly different from the control group who did not receive any experimental treatment. In addition, the authors found that perspective taking targeted at the desirability of creating a strong password further strengthened the effect of a high construal level on intended password choice. Originality/value This research makes several contributions to existing literature on password security. First, this research offers CLT as a theoretical lens to explain an individual’s thinking and behavior concerning online password use. Second, this research offers empirical evidence that a high construal level improves users’ password use, a desirable feature for improved security. Third, this research contributes to the literature on how to apply nudging to influence human behavior toward more desirable, stronger, password use. Finally, our research identifies PT as a factor enhancing the positive effect of a high construal level on online users’ password use.

scholarly journals To Sit or Not to Sit in VR: Analyzing Influences and (Dis)Advantages of Posture and Embodied Interaction

Computers ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (6) ◽  
pp. 73
Author(s):  
Daniel Zielasko ◽  
Bernhard E. Riecke
Keyword(s):  
Motion Perception ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Expert Assessment ◽  
Embodied Interaction ◽  
Systematic Analysis ◽  
Open Questions ◽  
And Behavior ◽  
Self Motion ◽  
The Impact

Virtual Reality (VR) users typically either sit or stand/walk when using VR; however, the impact of this is little researched, and there is a lack of any broad or systematic analysis of how this difference in physical posture might affect user experience and behavior. To address this gap, we propose such a systematic analysis that was refined through discussions and iterations during a dedicated workshop with VR experts. This analysis was complemented by an online survey to integrate the perspectives of a larger and more diverse group of VR experts, including developers and power users. The result is a validated expert assessment of the impact of posture and degree of embodiment on the most relevant aspects of VR experience and behavior. In particular, we posit potential strong effects of posture on user comfort, safety, self-motion perception, engagement, and accessibility. We further argue that the degree of embodiment can strongly impact cybersickness, locomotion precision, safety, self-motion perception, engagement, technical complexity, and accessibility. We provide a compact visualization of key findings and discuss areas where posture and embodiment do or do not have a known influence, as well as highlight open questions that could guide future research and VR design efforts.

scholarly journals Construal Level and Procrastination

2008 ◽  
Vol 19 (12) ◽  
pp. 1308-1314 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sean M. McCrea ◽  
Nira Liberman ◽  
Yaacov Trope ◽  
Steven J. Sherman
Keyword(s):  
Construal Level Theory ◽  
Temporal Distance ◽  
Construal Level ◽  
Perceived Difficulty ◽  
Bidirectional Relationship ◽  
E Mail

According to construal-level theory, events that are distant in time tend to be represented more abstractly than are events that are close in time. This mental association between level of abstractness and temporal distance is proposed to be a bidirectional relationship, such that level of representation of an event should also have effects on the time when the activity is performed. In the present studies, participants were asked to respond to a questionnaire via e-mail within 3 weeks. The questionnaire was designed to induce either an abstract or a concrete construal. Using a variety of manipulations of construal level, the studies supported the predictions of construal-level theory. Individuals were less likely to procrastinate performing the task when the questionnaire induced a more concrete construal. Furthermore, this effect did not depend on the attractiveness, importance, or perceived difficulty of the task.

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